Suggestion For Adhesive

[BaronWulfraed]

Apparently the stresses in my 5-pen sleeve were too much for a recently purchased pen. I've ordered a replacement, but I'm wondering if there are any suggestions for an adhesive/solvent that might make this one functional again.

 

As can be seen, the threaded insert to the barrel cracked -- taking a small amount of barrel with it.

 

I'm vacillating between trying an acetone family solvent (Just checked -- the canister IS acetone) or a brush-on super-glue.

 

Thanks all...

[tmenyc]

The question can't really be answered without knowing what the pen is made of...but CA will not work for that. CA is a glue, not a solvent, and a rough weight-bearing surface like that needs a solvent to weld it closed.

Tim

[SpecTP]

the torsional forces will eventually break any glue use to re-attach that part.

[BaronWulfraed]

My thoughts on the superglue were that it is most famous for holding under tension, and screwing the cap over that insert IS mostly putting the join under tension, not a shear or compression force. I probably wouldn't trust the pen for carry in any soft sleeve -- maybe just leave it on my desk next to the Dip-Less. Enough to use for signatures when printing checks.

 

I do feel that is the weakest part of the Benu pens... They have a plastic female threaded insert in the mouth of the cap, and use a plastic male threaded insert for the barrel (with inner threads for the section). For the price, one can't expect brass inserts. Might have helped if the barrel had the threads machined into the actual acrylic (or whatever material is used for caps/barrels -- those faceted surfaces have a subtle dip reminiscent of shrinkage when casting in a mold, rather than carved/polished).

[SpecTP]

Correct, super glue works best on tension forces and is weakest on torsional forces. The forces enacted on that barrel will be from twisting motion and that is shearing torsional forces.

[BaronWulfraed]

Well... located an unopened package of "Loctite Plastics Bonding System" in the basement. A two-part, basically some sort of "activator" (in a felt-tip marker) and some variant of superglue.

 

I can't even tell if the activator still has anything in it (no damp mark running it across a finger nail) -- if I interpret the package warning, the activator is heptane.

 

Rubbed the activator across the two parts, waited the 60 seconds, then rubbed the superglue over the barrel end, pressed together, and held for 30 seconds (per instructions).

 

Then lightly (?) screwed the cap on while digging up my shopping list from the next room.

 

Came back and couldn't get the cap off -- apparently the 30 seconds wasn't the drying time, but just the set time, some of the glue that seeped along the edge bound to the cap. Took two-three minutes of hard twisting to get the cap loose. The glued crack held through all that torque.

 

However, I still intend to just make that a free-roaming desk pen, not a carry pen. Broad nib, so fits my idea of a "signature" pen, and I computer-print checks right next to the desk.